The Taste of Blood
by Asphyxia
Summary: A several chapter long fic about Duo's run in with a vampire. Guess what happens to him? (R for implied yaoi and scenes of violence) *PART 4 IS UP!*
1. Bloodletting

Holybear's Little Note: No, GW does not belong to me. It belongs to a bunch of other very fortunate people. If you steal Angélique, I will kill you.

****

The Taste of Blood

By Holybear

"It's been too long."

Angélique St. Martin gazed through the darkened window, out to the lush courtyard that glimmered faintly in the moonlight. She turned to the silent figure behind her and murmured, "The undead have lost their impact upon this world." Her French accent resonated on the words, twisting between them and creating a sharp lilt to what she said.

"You would think that, Angeli." The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself. A tall, handsome young man emerged, a long mane of platinum blond hair cascading over his back. Gleaming ice blue eyes glinted in the darkness that surrounded them. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Because I am one of the undead! Do you not see? Our fate lies in the hands of _humans_, yet you stand there, Zechs, as though it did not affect you!"

Zechs chuckled. "I do care, my dear. It is simply not something I wish to brood upon."

"No," Angélique said savagely, "you would rather brood upon Treize Khushrenada. He is not of our family blood line."

"And you base your entire judgement of him on this one fact, would you not?" Zechs sighed. "I think that you should reconsider." He stared at her, ice blue meeting frigid green.

Angélique made no sound. She appeared to be deep in thought, plagued by what to say next. Quite suddenly, she looked up at him again. "I am going to feed. Are you going to come?"

"No. I enjoy the nightclubs of L4 enough to not harm their inhabitants."

"Then I will see you afterwards."

Angélique frowned, creasing her white face into worried lines. This did not bode well for her—immortals were being hunted down by humans and being eliminated one by one. Strangely enough, it didn't bother Zechs or Treize, which left her wondering.

With a sigh, she threw her long blond hair over her shoulder and walked seductively down the street. She paid no attention to the catcalls that greeted her, nor the disgusting invitations muttered by drunkards lounging on the pavement. Angélique was beautiful—she had grown used to the comments she received. Her hair was described as spun gold, her eyes were the color of the grass that grew in the park. She had been blessed with a gorgeous, leggy body, with enough curves to show she was female and a chest that attracted unwanted attention. It did not help, Zechs would say, that she wore tight clothing and delicate fabrics. Save for, of course, her leather outfits, the ones she wore to the nightclubs and to the hotel parties. A full moon glowed above her, illuminating a soft halo on her head. 

And in that instant, she saw her prey. 

Two young boys, no older than fifteen, with features that would make the prettiest girl in the world envious. One had a dark mop of hair that flopped over into his cobalt blue eyes. His face was fixed with a grim expression as a slightly shorter boy with a long chestnut colored braid and violet eyes chattered to him nonstop. Angélique smiled as she watched them. Beautiful things, weren't they? A shame they were so young; the change would have created them into stunning white marble. But a simple thing like that wouldn't hold her back, would it? Angélique's smile grew as she crept closer to the boys.


	2. Revelations

Holybear's Little Note: You might not get this if you didn't read part 1. Then againOk, disclaimers!

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I don't own Gundam Wing,

And neither do you!"

Angélique is mine. Steal her, you die.

**The Taste of Blood, pt. 2**

By Holybear

Duo giggled as he yanked Heero down to the tattoo parlor. "Come on, Heero! It'll be so cool!"

"Hn." Heero fixed his crazy American friend with his patented Yuy Death Glare. "What has suddenly induced you to get a tattoo?"

Duo shrugged. "I read that people who are in the armed forces together sometimes get matching tattoos. It sounded cool, so I decided to do it." He looked sideways at his partner, then drawled, "'Sides, you're gettin' one too."

"Oh really? And who decided this?" Heero asked dryly, knowing fully well what the answer was. 

"ME!" Duo crowed. "So whatcha gonna get, huh? I think I'll get a mini Deathscythe"

Heero sighed. "Duo, didn't you want to stop at the comic store first? It's right here."

"Oh yeah. Thanks, man! You go ahead, I'll be there in a sec." Heero nodded and turned, making his way to the parlor.

******

Duo's eyes glazed over as he saw the fresh new Inuyasha manga sitting in the display. "Oooh, I want" A sharp skittering diverted his attention. "Hello? Is anyone there?" He peered into the dark alley next to the store. All he could see were dark silhouettes. Suddenly, one of them shifted. "Um, are you okay?"

"Duo Maxwell" The voice was feminine; seductive and soft. A tall figure stood before him, moving so rapidly he almost didn't see it. Duo looked up into a pair of cold green eyes. "I have searched for you for so long."

"Who are you?" he said quietly, his voice darkening as it went in Shinigami mode. "And how in the hell do you know my name?!"  
The woman chuckled, her soft blond hair shaking like a golden waterfall. She smiled down at him, revealing sharp fang teeth. Duo gasped as she leaned closer and drew him to her.

"I am your savior, boy" were the last words Duo could make out before the teeth slid into his throat.

******

Heero shifted nervously. Where was Duo? _This is so typical of him_, he thought. _So typical_. With a swift motion, he stood and left the parlor, heading for the comic store.

******

Duo moaned as the woman whispered into his ear. "Drink from my wrist, and you shall live for all eternity, my love" The warm, thick red liquid slid between his lips. Almost driven away by the revulsion, Duo struggled, but was held in place by the woman's hand. Slowly he began to swallow, his heart beating so fast he was positive it would burst through his ribcages.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Heero hissed as he watched the woman bend over Duo. The mystery girl looked at him, her eyes going straight to the gun barrel. She released him, and Duo slid bonelessly to the ground. A soft growl rumbled from her throat. Heero pulled the gun's hammer back, the soft _click_ causing her to pause. 

"Do not get in the way," she snarled. "This does not concern you."

"If Duo is involved, it sure as hell concerns me." 

The woman laughed, throwing her hair over her shoulder. She shot a quick look to Duo, then turned to Heero. "He'll be fine," she murmured. "When he wakes, keep him out of the sunlight, away from crucifixes, garlic, and holy water. If you do not want him to die, don't allow him to do any of these things."

With those words, she darted away, the coppery scent of blood lingering on the air. Heero shook his head and picked up the unconscious boy. He left the alley quickly, not daring to turn back.

Whatcha think? R&R p'ease!

Holybear ^.^


	3. Bleeding Tears

Holybear's Little Note: Welcome back to my world. Hope you enjoy! (I don't own Gundam Wing. Somebody else does.)

**The Taste of Blood, pt. 3**

By Holybear

Voices.

Quiet ones, but voices nonetheless. They pushed their way into his mind, penetrating through the gentle, comforting haze sleep had created. They brought him crashing into reality, back to the place he didn't want to go.

But he didn't have a choice.

Duo stirred, a warm feeling spreading over his face as light poured onto his closed eyes. His eyes tightened as he attempted to hang on to sleep. It rapidly became useless. 

"Is he awake?" A boy's voice, soft and slightly feminine. _I know him_, Duo thought. _Quatre_

"I don't know." Another one, deeper and more masculine. _Heero_ With that thought, Duo forced his eyelids open and gazed around with a glassy look.

"Duo!" Quatre cried cheerfully. Duo smiled at the other boy's obvious joy. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell," Duo responded. Noting the worried look on Quatre's face, he said, "Hey, I've been through worse."

"You've lost quite a bit of blood," Wufei said suddenly. "Do you have any recollection of what happened?"

Duo frowned. "Well," he started, "Me and Heero were going to the tattoo place. He reminded me that I wanted to go to the comic store, so I told him to go ahead and wait for me. While I was looking at the display, I heard this weird noise, like a cat or something. I looked in the alley, and this woman came up to me. She said she was my savior, and then she bit my throat. After that, she made me drink her blood from her wrist." He watched the stunned faces of his friends in amazement. "What's wrong?"

"What you said sounds an awful lot like the way you become a vampire," Trowa answered. Duo stared in surprise. _What is he talking about?_ "Did you notice anythingodd about her?"

Nodding vigorously, Duo said, "She was really pale. And her eyes were so damn freaky; it was like they were glowing. Her skin was cold, too."

Trowa turned to Quatre and whispered in his ear. Quatre looked at him for a minute, then proclaimed, "Trowa and I are going to the library. He thinks there may be a book explaining this."

"I'll go with you." Wufei grabbed the first aid and followed the other two.

Duo laughed suddenly. "Heero," he asked between giggles, "You don't really think that they think I'm a vampire, do you?"

Heero shrugged. He moved closer to Duo, grasping his hand. After studying it for several minutes, he said, "Duo, you are very pale. And your skin is ice cold. It is unlikely that vampires are real, but if they are, you could be one. I highly doubt it, though."

"You're crazier than me, man," Duo quipped with a grin. "Vampires aren't real! They're some old drunken Irish dude's imagination in overdrive."

Heero stood. "You decide." He went to the door, then turned and said, "If you need anything, just call."

Duo smiled. "Thanks."

"Hn." With that, Heero left, leaving Duo with a barrage of thoughts. He sighed and threw the covers off his body. Stumbling over to the mirror, he gasped out loud. His skin was whiter than the shirt he wore, whiter than the sheets he'd been lying on. Duo's mouth dropped open at the sight of his eyes. They gleamed unnaturally with a violet light. He saw his canine teeth had grown longer, more prominent, and a hell of a lot sharper. Duo staggered away from the mirror, panic racing through his veins. This wasn't possible; it just couldn't be! Vampires weren't real...were they? Flinging the door open, Duo paused. He stared, unbelieving, at his hand. 

In it he held the door. By opening it with such force, he had ripped it off its hinges. Duo sucked in a deep breath._ Okay, I'm a gundam pilot. I'm strong. I could have easily ripped the door like that. _But in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't true. There was no way he could've done that, even if he was a gundam pilot. Without a second thought, Duo dropped the door and ran downstairs like a bat out of hell.

Read and review, peeps!

Holybear ^.^


	4. Deal with the Devil

Holybear's Little Note: Yeah, I know the parts are short

Holybear's Little Note: Yeah, I know the parts are short. Don't worry, they'll get longer soon enough. ;) Read and Review!!!

P.S. Somebody asked why Duo could see his reflection in part 3. Well, his transformation into a vampire wasn't complete, but now it is.

The Taste of Blood, pt. 4

By Holybear

Angélique smirked in the dark recesses of the abandoned estate. She could sense Duo's gradual acceptance of what he was. And what he was...was so beautiful. And that boy, the one he called Heero, he made her gift seem so dirty. Angélique frowned as she turned to the mirror over the fireplace. It was useless. Nothing looked back at her, not the face that had seen the horrors of centuries past.

"Ugh!" Angélique snarled at her non-reflection. She slammed her fist into the mirror, sending silvery fragments all over the ground. Wiping the blood off of her fist, she threw the front doors open and raged out, the moonlight glittering over her.

Duo nearly broke his immortal neck as he staggered down the long flight of stairs. Swerving like a drunk driver, he ran into the library. His fellow pilots looked up at him, startled.

"Duo?" Quatre's quiet voice sounded like a shout in Duo's ears. He winced, dropping into a chair like so much dead weight.

"You were right, Trowa."

The green-eyed pilot stared at him, his gaze not wavering for an instant. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you were right. I'm a vampire." Duo closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the mere thought. What was he going to do? It wasn't like this was curable. He was a vampire. He was going to live off the blood of his fellow humans for the rest of eternity. Jesus Christ...

"DUO!"

"WHAT?!" Duo shrieked, opening his eyes. His fellow pilots bore expressions of extreme pain, and they all had their hands over their ears. Heero crouched down next to Duo, catching his pale hand in his own. 

"Duo, calm down. Your voice no longer is that of a human." Duo looked down at him with glowing violet eyes, meeting Heero's cold gaze.

"What do you know?" he whispered. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW, HEERO?! I'M A FUCKING MONSTER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Duo collapsed, sobs shaking his frail body. Heero's eye twitched, and he seized the other boy's wrists. He yanked him out of the chair and wrapped his arms around the Deathscythe pilot, giving the other three a clear message to leave. Duo continued to cry, his tears hot and burning against Heero's chest. Sniffling softly, he whispered, "Thank you."

Heero's only response was to hug him tighter. "You are not a monster, Duo," he murmured into Duo's hair. "Don't ever say that."

"But..."

"Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." Duo smiled shakily and sighed, wiping away the bloody tears streaking his white face. He raked a hand through his hair and looked out the window. "Heero, I have to..."

The Wing pilot frowned, then nodded. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."

Duo gave him a thumbs-up, then darted out of the library. Grabbing his coat, he ducked out the front door into the night. A cool breeze brushed against his face, buffeting his long braid behind him. He sighed quietly, then began to jog to the car parked in front of the house.

Angélique smiled as she watched her young protegeé head towards the black car. She slipped out of the shadows and started for Duo, her eyees glued to his pale frame. He froze as Angélique appeared before him.

"You," he breathed. "Stay away from me, you bitch."

Angélique pouted. "Is that how you treat your creator, Duo? Have you no manners?"

Duo looked at her with those glittering eyes. "You did this to me?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," Angélique said. Shivering slightly, she said, "You look hungry. Would you care to eat with me?"

"I don't want anything to do with you." He turned away, struggling to look away from her icy green gaze. A hand closed around his arm and whirled him around.

"I am the only one who can help you survive. Are you willing to take my offer?" Duo stared at her beautiful face for several seconds, then nodded. Angélique smiled. "Believe me, you won't regret it."


End file.
